A global renowned Canadian doctor says that his conference at New York University (NYU) has been canceled to be “anti-government”.
Doctor Joanne LiuAssociate professor at McGill and the University of Montreal and a pediatric doctor in emergency medicine who was previously chief of doctors without borders (Doctors Without Borders), told Global News that she had been amazed after her presentation planned for the presentation of the presentation to the presentation of the presentation to the presentation of the presentation to the presentation of the presentation to the presentation of the presentation at the presentation of the presentation of the presentation of the presentation of the presentation of the presentation of the presentation of the presentation of the presentation of the presentation of the presentation to the presentation The presentation of the presentation to the presentation of the presentation to the presentation of the presentation to the presentation of the presentation to the presentation of the presentation of the presentation to the presentation of the presentation of the presentation, Nyu was suddenly canceled last week.
She said that her conference was going to discuss humanitarian aid during crises as well as challenges that caregivers were confronted in Gaza and other war areas.
His presentation would also tackle recent cuts with foreign aid, Especially USAIDby President TrumpAdministration.
“(I was told) that the discussion of USAID cuts could be perceived as an anti-government story,” Liu told Global in an interview on Friday. She added that Nyu, her Alma Mater, also said that her conference was likely to be perceived as anti -Semitic.
Liu’s presentation was to go ahead March 19. The day before, once she had already arrived in New York, the vice-president of the Department of Education was informed by Liu.
She declared that the vice-president had expressed his concerns concerning some of his slides which cited base workers’ databases which showed the number of humanitarian victims in 2024 in Gaza, as well as recent massive cuts has UsaidA civil aid and development aid agency. He was told that the two subjects could respectively risk being perceived as anti-Semitic and anti-government, said Liu.
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She proposed to make adjustments, but Nyu chose to completely cancel the event.
Global News contacted Nyu to comment and did not hear.
This happens in the midst of the recent subsidies of the Trump administration at American universities, and Liu says that she believes that Nyu was afraid of suffering the same fate. She added that this reflects the climate of fear that American universities are currently living.
The Trump administration recently withdrawn $ 400 million in federal funding at Columbia University, after alleging that the institution has not protected students from “anti -Semitic harassment”. The University has since restored its funding after accepting a set of requests, in particular by placing its Department of Studies of the Middle East under academic surveillance.
“Almost a year ago, I was invited to give a scientific conference to the Nyu emergency medicine department. I did my scholarship there, my specialty in pediatric emergency medicine in the 1990s,” Liu wrote in an opinion article published Thursday in the French Language Journal of Montreal Le Devoir.
“Elite universities are in the reticle of presidential cuts,” continued Liu. “I have sympathy for those who feel unlikely on the campus. And I have just as much sympathy for university administrators who try to preserve their funding and, ultimately, their work, their research and their teaching. ”
She added that academic freedom is currently in a vulnerable state in the United States.
The last of a deterioration relationship with the United States
This is the last increase in Canadians saying that they avoid all trips south of the border.
Iranian-Canadian political science professor at McGill University Arash Abizadeh, Global told Global that he had canceled the next three university trips to the United States.
He explained that although he was disturbed by Trump’s recent antagonistic rhetoric towards Canadian sovereignty, he is mainly concerned about the security of foreigners on American soil.
He quoted the incident earlier in March when a French scientist We refused the entrance In the country after immigration officials at a Houston airport searched his phone and found SMS criticizing the president, who said “could be considered terrorism”.
“Who wants to put themselves in a position where they can be arbitrarily detained?” Abizadeh said, speaking of his reluctance to enter the United States
Daniel Jutras, the rector of the University of Montreal as well as a lawyer and academic specialized in civil and comparison, told Global that the current political climate worries him.
He said the university had published a service note to his entire community warning people to be more vigilant if they enter the United States and have reminded his students and staff to declare their trips to university.
“(There is enough) at a certain distance from what we have experienced in recent decades in our very close interactions with several research organizations and large universities there,” he said.
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